Declaration between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Caspian Sea
Declaration of Astana on October 9, 2000
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev and President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, having discussed issues related to cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on the Caspian Sea on October 9, 2000 in Astana, wishing to promote the development of such cooperation in the spirit of the principles set out in the Joint Statement of the Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on Cooperation on the Use of the Caspian Sea dated April 27, 1996, B925500_ Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance of May 25, 1992, the Declaration on Eternal Friendship and Alliance Oriented towards the 21st Century of July 6, 1998; Noting that, pending the conclusion of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea between all the Caspian littoral States, the regimes of freedom of navigation, freedom of fishing, and prohibition of the use of force contained in the Treaty between the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and Persia of February 26, 1921 and the Treaty on Trade and Navigation between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Iran of March 25, 1940, continue to apply sailing of vessels under the flags of non-Caspian countries; Proceeding from the fact that the determination of the new legal status of the Caspian Sea is possible only on the basis of consensus positions of all Caspian littoral States; expressing readiness for further work to determine the new legal status of the Caspian Sea, taking into account the legitimate interests of all coastal States in order to create favorable conditions for effective cooperation in the development of hydrocarbon and biological resources, preservation of the ecological system of the Caspian Sea; Taking into account the agreements reflected in the joint statements of the Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation dated January 23, 1998 and June 19, 2000 in Moscow, declare the following: 1. The Parties express their readiness to jointly promote the effective promotion of the five-party negotiation process on the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, advocate making the activities of the Special A working group at the level of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Caspian Littoral States. The Parties will continue to work on a joint draft of the said Convention for submission to other Caspian littoral States. 2. Russia and Kazakhstan confirm their conviction that, as one of its most important components, it is advisable to base a consensus decision on the new legal status of the Caspian Sea on a compromise proposal on the delimitation of the seabed between neighboring and opposing states along a median line, modified by agreement of the parties, in order to exercise their sovereign rights to subsurface use while maintaining the common use of water space to ensure freedom of navigation, agreed fishing standards and environmental protection. At the same time, the use of deposits through which the agreed demarcation line will pass may be the subject of separate agreements between the respective Caspian littoral countries. The parties agreed that the proposed approach would make a positive contribution to determining the legal status of the Caspian Sea. 3. In accordance with the Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation on the Delimitation of the Bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsurface use dated July 6, 1998, the Parties will sign a Protocol to this Agreement as soon as possible with a geographical description of the passage of a modified median line along which it is intended to delimit the subsurface use zones. 4. Realizing that reaching a five-sided consensus on the new legal status of the Caspian Sea will require additional efforts and time, and due to the deteriorating environmental situation in the Caspian Sea and the critical condition of its unique sturgeon population, the Parties appeal to the other Caspian littoral States to conclude multilateral intergovernmental agreements as a matter of priority before signing the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, in accordance with with which it will be possible to take urgent collective measures to protect the natural environment of the Caspian Sea, preserve, reproduction and rational use of its biological resources.
The parties called for the permanent establishment of a five-sided Strategic Caspian Center, which would monitor the state of the natural environment of the Caspian Sea. 5. Russia and Kazakhstan believe that it would be in the interests of resolving the status of the Caspian Sea and strengthening cooperation in the Caspian region to hold a summit meeting of the five coastal states after the necessary preparations.
(Experts: Umbetova A.M., Sklyarova I.V.)
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